Folding table with spring latch mechanism



March 5, 1957 CLAPPER 2,784,042

FOLDING TABLE WITH SPRING LATCH MECHANISM. Filed Dec. 16, 1955 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Dale J. Clapper INVENTOR.

March 5, 1957 D. J. CLAPPER 2,784,042

FOLDING TABLE WITH SPRING LATCH MECHANISM Filed Dec. 16, 1955 2Shets-Sheet 2 Dale J. Clapper Q INVEN TOR.

BY QM dads Wan; 3M5

United States atent FOLDING TABLE WITH SPRING LATCH MECHANISM Dale J.Clapper, Meyersdale, Pa. Application December 16, 1955, Serial No.553,512 4 Claims. (Cl. 311-87) The present invention relates to a noveland improved multipurpose table characterized by folding legs and which,although it is primarily intended to serve as a folding banquet table,is versatile in nature and is therefore susceptible of use under manyand varying circumstances as a barbecue lawn table, school or ofiiceconference table, and so on.

Tables for use as above stated and for similar miscellaneous purposesare, as is well known, subjected to rough handling and usage and areoften called upon to support heavy loads. Therefore, it is an object ofthe invention to structurally, functionally and otherwise improve uponsimilarly constructed and performing prior art folding tables and, indoing so, to provide a construction which is simple, practical, easy tohandle and store, is intended to meet with Widespread adoption and use,complies with manufacturing economies of manufacturers and is such thatit will serve the expected needs of all classes of users.

In carrying out the preferred embodiment of the overall inventiveconcept, novel leg-frames are employed. These are preferably constructedfrom proper gage steel tubing electrically welded and fastened to crossmembers of frame means on the underneath side of the table top byclevises, U-bolts or hook-bolts so that there is little danger of theleg-frames becoming loose and also so that the nuts on the bolts may betightened up to offset any tendency of the parts becoming loose andwobbly.

Novelty is predicated on duplicate, hingedly mounted folded leg-frameseach equipped with a substantially U- shaped or an equivalent staymember. The' stay' niem bers are hingedly connected to the legs of therespective leg-frames and the leg-frames fold against the underneathside of the table so that the stay members'ove'rlap and are sandwichedbetween the leg frames and said underneath side, whereby to promotecompactness and convenience and to insure satisfactory retention of theparts in their folded position.

Then, too, novelty is also predicated on the arrangement of parts abovereferred to wherein latch-equipped brackets or fixtures are secured tothe frame means on the underneath side ofthe table, these being inalignment with each other and longitudinally spacedapart and soconstructed that they function, somewhat semiautomatically, in reliablyand securely retaining the legframes and stay members in both open andclosed positions.

In addition to the above, the individual. latch-equipped fixtures arenovel in that each fixture is characterized by a base plate withspecially designed flanges having keepernotches, inclined leading edgeson the flanges, and a latch lever with a suitably and properly bent tangwhich not only serves to securely maintain the bight portions of theU-shaped stay members in place, but facilitates the engagement thereofwith the keeper notches.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparentfrom the following description and the accompanying sheets of drawings.

2,784,042 Patented Mar. 5, 1957 Inthe accompanying drawings, whereinlike numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure l is a perspective view of the improved folding banquet 'tableconstructed in accordance with the principles of the invention andshowing the same set up in use.

Figure 2 is a view which is partly in section and partly in elevationand which is fragmentarily shown and taken approximately on the plane ofthe line 22 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows, saidview showing the leg-frames in partial collapsed positions in dottedlines.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view with the parts collapsed or completelyfolded.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of one of the latch-equippedfixtures.

' Figure 5 is a longitudinal section through the same.

Referring now to the drawings with the aid of reference numerals andlead lines, the table top, which is of elongate or rectangular form, isdenoted generally by the numeral 6. In practice, this may be of anysuitable material. It is here shown with a depending marginal skirt orframe denoted generally by the numeral 8 in Figure 3 and said frame hasa longitudinal strip member 10 and transverse cross members 12 spacedinwardly from the transverse end members of the frame 8. The numeral 14in Figure 3 designates a first leg-frame, while the numeral 16designates a second leg-frame. The numeral 18 designates a firstsubstantially U-shaped stay member carried by the leg-frame 14 and thenumeral 20 designates a second U-shaped stay member carried by fiiicethe second leg-frame 16. These parts are duplicates one another, and adescription of the leg-frame 14 and; To this -end, each leg its staymember 18 will suflice. frame comprises a pair of legs 22 having spacedparallel upper portions and outwardly and downwardly flaringlower endportions terminating in rubber or equivalent feet or protectors 24.Disposed at right angles to the-- upper ends of the legs is a framemember 26 which may be referred to as a shaft, and it will be noticedthat this is substantially of the same length as the cross-member- 12.In fact, it bears against one longitudinal surface thereof and iscylindrical in cross-section and the end.

parallel portions are provided with selectively usable bolt holes 32and'these serve to accommodate the screw-- threaded, laterally directedterminal ends of the limbs' 34 of the adjacent stay member 18 or 20, asthe :case

may be. The bight portions of the respective staymembers are denoted bythe numerals 36, and these are adapted for direct releasable or latchingengagement with the latch-equipped devices'or fixtures which areattached at longitudinally spaced points to the rail or frame. mem

ber 10.

For convenience, the left-hand or-so-called first fixture is denoted bythe numeral 38 while; the second, .corre-.

spondingly constructed fixture is denoted by the numeral 40. Bothfixtures are the same in construction, and adescription of one willsuffice for both. To this end, each fixture as shown in Figures 4 and 5comprises a base plate 42 which is fastened by screws or the like 44 tothe under-j neath side of the table, more particularly the rail 10."

The plate is substantially rectangular and is provided along itslongitudinal edge portions with a pair of lateral The divergent lowerend por-' tions of the legs are provided with a cross-brace 30. The,

flanges '46 disposed in parallelism. The leading end of the plate isbeveled as at 48 and the adjacent leading edges of the flanges arebeveled or inclined as at 56. These serve to pilot the bight portions 36into the keeper notches 52 provided therefor inwardly of the inclinedsurfaces 50. The notches may be shaped as shown in Figure to facilitatereleasing of the bight portion in an obvious manner. inwardly of thekeeper notches there is a truncated conical abutment or stop 54 for thelever latch 56. This latch is shaped as shown in Figure 4 and isprovided with spaced parallel cars 58 which are hingedly pinned as at 60to the cooperating flanges 46. One end portion 62 is fashioned into afinger piece and this is provided with a boss 64 which cooperates withthe boss 66 on the base plates to accommodate a compression coiltypespring 68 which serves to spring-bias the latch lever so that the endportion 76 serves to maintain its bight portion 36 securely seated inthe keeper notches 52. The right-hand tip of the latch or lever is alsoflared and rounded and suitably shaped as at 70 to cooperate with theinclined piloting surfaces 59 in feeding the bight portions into thekeeper notches. This is the aforementioned semi-automatic feature.

'When the table is set up for use as shown in full lines in Figures 1and 2, it will be evident that the leg-frames l4, stay member 18, andfirst fixture 3B cooperate with each other. That is to say, the staymember is latched to the fixture and the legs are held in erectedposition as-is obvious. The same is true in respect to the so-calledsecond leg-frame 16, its stay member 20, and its companion fixture it).It is important to note, however, that these fixtures are so spaced inrelation to the length of the stay members 13 and that they also have asecond function, perhaps the primary function of the invention. That isto say, when the leg'frames 14 and 16 are folded against the underneathside of the table, the'stay members i8-and 20 change their position. Thebight portion of the stay member 18 is now engaged with the remotefixture and the bight portion of the stay member 29 is engaged with theremote fixture 38. This causes the stay members to overlap with theirlimbs crossed in the manner shown to provide the desired feature ofcompactness and convenience depicted in Figure 3.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed. and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A folding table comprising a table top. a first legframe having oneend thereof hingedly attached to the underneath side of said topadjacent to one end portion of said top, a second leg-frame,complemental to said first leg-frame, having a corresponding one endthereof independently and hingedly attached to said underneath sideadjacent to the other end portion of said top, said legframcs beingfolded up and into close, substantially coplanar relationship with eachother and assuming outof-the-way positions in proximity to saidunderneath side but being swingahle down and away from each other andsaid top to depending table top supporting positions when desired, astay member pivotally attached at one end to each leg-frame, therespective stay members being disposed in overlapping relation and beingcompactly sandwiched between said underneath side and said leg-frames,and latch-equipped means fixed to said underneath side, adjacent ends ofsaid stay members being releasably connected to said latch-equippedmeans, said stay members being, substantially U-shaped in construction,the intermediate portions of their respective limbs being disposed incrossed relation, said latch-equipped means comprising ajpair oflongitudinally spaced fixtures, one stay member having its free endportion releasably latched to that fix ture which is remote therefrom,and the free end of the other stay member being likewise releasablylatched to the other fixture which is also remote therefrom.

2. A folding table comprising a table top, a first legframe having oneend thereof hingediy attached to the underneath side of said topadjacent to one end portion of said top, a second leg-frame,complemental to said first leg-frame, having a corresponding one endthereof inclependently and hingedly attached to said underneath sideadiacent to the other end portion of said top, a first latchequippedfixture fixed to said underneath side adjacent to said first leg-frame,a first stay member having one end portion pivotally connected to thelegs of said first legframe, the other free end portion being releasablyconnectiole with said fixture, a second latch-equipped fixturelongitudinally spaced from and fixed to said underneath side in linewith said first fixture but adjacent to said second leg-frame, a secondstay member like said first-named stay member having one end pivotallyconnected to the legs of said second leg-frame, the other end thereofbeing free and releasably connectible with said second fixture, thedistance between said fixtures being predetermined and proportional withthe length of said stay members, whereby the free end of the second staymember is releasably connectible with the first fixture and the free endof the first stay member is releasably connectible with said firstfixture when the leg-frames are folded against said underneath side,each stay member being substantially U-shaped and embodying a pair oflimbs connected at their same ends by way of a bight portion, the otherends of said limbs being pivotally, detachably and adjustably connectedwith the intermediate portions or" their respecfive companion legs, eachfixture comprising a bracket having keeper notches for the bight portionof the cooperating stay member, and a manually actuatable springbiasedlatch pivoted on said bracket in a manner to retain the stated bightportion in its intended keeper notches.

3. A table construction comprising a top having a flat underneath sidewith frame means embodying at least one fixed cross-member, a leg-framehaving a pair of coplanar closely spaced legs connected at their upperends to a central portion of a right angularly disposed linearlystraight'frame member cylindrical in cross-section and of a lengthapproximately equal to the length of said cross-member and abutting acooperating lengthwise surface of said cross-member, U-bolts adjustablyand do tachably mounted on said cross-member and embracing and hingedly,detachably and adjustably connecting the respective end portions of saidframe member to said cross-member, a U-shaped stay member embodyinglimbs pivotally and adjustably attached to and carried by said legs, andlatch means fixed to said underneath surface and serving toaccommodatingly retain said stay member in either folded or erectedposition, said latch means embodying at least one fixture having a baseplate fastened to said underneath side, said plate having dependingspaced parallel flanges with opposed inclined leading edge portions,opposed keeper notches formed in the inter-me diate portions of saidflanges andcooperating in operative association with their respectiveleading edges, a spring-biased latch lever opposed to said plate andpivotally mounted for operation between said flanges, said lever havinga finger-piece at its spring-biased end'and tang at its other end, thetip of said tang being flared away frotnsaid base plate and constitutinga cam and cooperating with said inclined leading edges, and said staymember being U-shaped and having a bight portion which is located andadapted to ride along said leading edges in a manner to engage said cam,lift the latch lever and seatitself in said keeper notches.

4. A table construction comprising a top, a transverse cross membersecured to the underneath side of said top,

a leg frame embodying a linearly straight frame member abutting anddetachably, adjustably and hingedly attached to said cross member, apair of closely adjacent legs atfixed to and extending laterally from anintermediate portion of said frame member, a U-shaped stay memberembodying limbs pivotally and adjustably attached to said legs, theopposite ends of said limbs being connected by an integral bightportion, the latter extending beyond the adjacent lower ends of saidlegs when the legs and stay member are collapsed into foldedout-ofthe-way positions beneath and in close proximity to the underneathside of said table top, a first latch-equipped fixture secured to theunderneath side and embodying a manually releasable latch andcooperating keeper notches with which said bight portion is connectedtemporarily, and a second latch-equipped fixture longitudinally spacedfrom and also fixed to the underneath side of the table top inlongitudinal alignment with said first named fixture and situatedbetween the limbs of said stay member and said legs when the latter arein the aforementioned folded positions and embodying keeper notches anda latch for the stated bight portion, the openable and clostableerecting position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,273,638 Lyon July 23, 1918 1,331,538 Spencer Feb. 24, 1920 1,806,091Simpson May 19, 1931 1,913,418 Willinder June 13, 1933 1,985,284 CuffelDec. 25, 1934 2,124,007 Peters July 19, 1938 2,131,594 Miller Sept. 27,1938 2,668,089 Cowan Feb. 2, 1954 2,672,387 Barricks Mar. 16, 19542,689,158 Mahr Sept. 14, 1954

